<Begin Segment 8>

AI: Well, now, during high school is a time when a lot of people are starting to think about the future, and what kinds of hopes and dreams did you have as you were growing up in high school?

KM: Well, I took shorthand and typing, and I loved it and I got several awards for being a real fast, speedy. But, so I had, what little movies that I was allowed to see -- 'cause my parents, like I said was poor, and I had to work -- I saw a few that, and the secretaries were always dressed. And then the boss would give them nice flowers, or take 'em out to lunch. And so I kind of idolized being a secretary. So when I had a scholarship I said, they said, "What is your desire? What is your goal?" And I said, "I'd like to be a secretary." But when I finally came to be senior, my mother and dad sat me down and said, "You know, if you're a secretary, you have to have a boss. And if the boss don't like you, or if his business isn't successful, you're gonna get fired. And then you have nothing." So he says, "Consider being a dressmaker and have a trade in your hand." And what amused, not amused me but really surprises me that my mother even went, said, "One of these days, maybe something might happen after you get married and have children and your husband might get sick, and then you're not gonna have anything to do. But if you have sewing, you could stay at home, you don't have to go out, and while you take care of your children you could make a living." And you know, that came out true. And I just, I mean I'm still to this day, "Mom, how did you know all this?"

AI: So she had a...?

KM: 'Course that would come in later you know.

AI: Yes, so at that time she was really thinking about...

KM: Yeah, uh-huh. And she wanted, so that's the reason I chose to go to Millie Merrill Dress Designing School. I just...

AI: I'm sorry. What was the name of the school?

KM: Millie, Millie Merrill Dress Designing School. She was, she was originally from Wolf Designing School. And all these designing schools are all on West Seventh Avenue in L.A. And we had lots of competition.

AI: Can you tell me about the school? What...

KM: Yeah.

AI: ...were your activities?

KM: Well, when I went to this Millie Merrill School, she was just getting started. And so she told me all what her credits were. She had gone to Woodbury and then she went to Wolf, (also Charette,) then she started her own school. Then she found out -- as I learned different phases of dressmaking and designing and so forth -- found out that I could speak Japanese. And so she just decided that she's gonna advertise that we have a bilingual student here that can teach, you know help. And so I had lot of Kibeis and people that came from Japan to learn, and teach them in Japanese how to do this and how to do that. So...

AI: So, did you become like her assistant teacher?

KM: Yeah. Yes...

AI: Teaching the Japanese students from Japan?

KM: For a year after I graduated. So I was there two years.

AI: And I'm sorry. Did you start the dressmaking -- did you begin taking the dressmaking school before you graduated high school?

KM: No, no, no. Well, I did, in a way from private teacher, from private teacher. But, you know, I didn't like, because the fitting wasn't perfect. It was either too big, or too small. When I went to this dressmaking school, you take your measurement and then the pattern you make is just you, nobody else. And then I thought, "Oh, this is it. This is what I want." And so I got interested in designing, something different. And I used to go to like, in Los Angeles like Robinsons and Bullocks, they would have a free fashion show. And I would go there and take my sketch book, and take the designs that I like and I would design it for my students, I mean clients after I had my own shop.

AI: Hmm, I see.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.